Questions in Columbus: Can the Blue Jackets Keep Up?

After years of futility as the only NHL team never to make the postseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets finally got a taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Really it was more of a nibble - the Detroit Red Wings swept the Jackets in four games, three of which were never in doubt. Still, the 2008-09 season was a huge step forward for the team. Now, the goal in Columbus is to sustain and build upon that success. With that in mind, there are some questions that need to be answered before the puck drops in October if the Blue Jackets hope to stay in the top half of the Western Conference.

1. Is Steve Mason a flash in the pan?

Obviously any Blue Jackets fan will answer this question with a defiant "No way!" And while I agree that the 08-09 Calder Trophy winner is for real, goaltenders are a tricky bunch. One can't help but think back to 2002 when Jose Theodore won both Vezina and Hart trophies before sinking to years of mediocrity between the pipes.  Mason was consistently brilliant last season, and he had to be. Columbus finished 21st in the NHL in scoring and Mason often only received a goal or two of support from his teammates. He led the league with 10 shutouts and finished second with a 2.29 goals-against average. While this year's Blue Jackets should be improved from last season, and Mathieu Garon was signed in the offseason to give Mason a competent backup, he will still probably have to stand on his head sometimes and win some games singlehandedly.

2. Where will the goals come from?

Mason is the main reason Columbus was able to crack the postseason last year, but that can't be the case every season. The Blue Jackets must improve on their 2.68 goals per game from a year ago...and they can't all come from one place. We all know Rick Nash can put the puck in the net, but therein lies the problem: every NHL coach knows that Nash is the man in Columbus and if you shut him down, the Blue Jackets aren't much of an offensive threat. Only three Blue Jackets broke the 20-goal plateau last year: Nash, RJ Umberger and Kristian Huselius. They have plenty of skilled young forwards in Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov who will all need to contribute offensively.

3. Who will quarterback the powerplay?

The Blue Jackets made the playoffs for the first time despite having the worst powerplay in the NHL (12.7%). It was painful to watch this team on the powerplay...they often couldn't even gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. A big reason for their ineptitude with a man advantage was the lack of a competent quarterback, someone who could possess the puck high in the zone and get the play started. The feeling among many critics is that the Jackets need to make an outside hire to fill this position. Unfortunately, the summer's free agent crop of puck-moving defensemen was pretty slim. The fleet-footed Kris Russell seemed like he would be the logical choice to run the powerplay for Columbus, but he struggled at times during his first full NHL season and still has some developing to do. The team took John Moore in the first round of the 2009 entry draft, but he's a year or two from being NHL-ready. Voracek and defensemen Rostislav Klesla and Fedor Tyutin saw significant time at the point on the powerplay, but none of them exactly lit the ice on fire. Things started to click late in the season when the Jackets acquired Jason Williams, but he's been sent packing. Whether he arrives via trade, free agency or internal development, the Blue Jackets need to find someone to help them out of the man-advantage cellar.

4. How deep is the D?

Blue-line play has always been a concern for the Blue Jackets, and while last season it was less of an issue than ever, it still was an issue. Jan Hejda and Mike Commodore emerged as the team's top shut-down defenders (though I'm still not convinced Commodore is worth what he's paid), Fedor Tyutin proved to be the team's best offseason acquisition in his first year in Columbus and, when healthy, Rostislav Klesla finally showed he can be a legitimately top-four defenseman. Still, the defense was not always as reliable as it needed to be. Marc Methot had his good and bad games, and Russell, as mentioned earlier, still seems to be getting accustomed to the NHL game. Christian Backman is gone (thank goodness), as is Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, and while these aren't major losses, they do take away the team's seventh and eighth defensemen with significant NHL experience. Injuries happen to everyone and the Jackets are no exception (Klesla played in just 34 regular season last year). Some of the young defensemen in the organization will need to step up and play a much-increased role with the big club this season. The early name to watch for is 22-year-old Nick Holden, who has reportedly been very impressive in training camp.

5. How healthy can they be?

I'll say it again, injuries happen to every team in hockey. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, they aren't equipped to handle them as well as some teams are. The franchise is still working on building a deeper talent pool and can't afford suffering many serious injuries. Columbus lost Brassard for the season after 31 games, which made Manny Malhotra their top-line center for the rest of the season. Malhotra is a great face-off man and grinder, but he was clearly out of place on the top line. With so little depth, especially down the middle and on defense, the Blue Jackets have to stay healthy in order to put a competetive team on the ice every game. Unfortunately for them, a lot of this comes down to luck, but when you think about it, Steve Mason never would have become the team's starter if Pascal Leclaire hadn't gotten hurt, so after last season at least we can say the team isn't immune to good fortune.